Money, Mules and Travel — Carter Conlon

Hearing and Responding to the Living Word

For the last two weeks I've been in the for the last three weeks. I've been in the same scriptures studying this text that the Lord just won't seem to let me away from where the brothers the sons of Jacob.

After having betrayed their brother Joseph a type of the church as it is. Stand before him unaware of who he is in a time of famine and Over a course of events. There's a revelation given and they finally begin to hear him they see who he is that they understand what he's done how God has been involved in this and I'd like to share again one more time.

This would be the third message on this issue a Message we're going to start in Psalm 60 if you'll go there, please with me in the Old Testament a message. It's called money mules and travel. Money mules and travel.

Father I thank you Lord for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I Thank you God for the strength that you give that We don't earn and don't deserve comes from mercy. And so Lord I appeal to your mercy today.

I'm asking you God for an anointing. To make your word come alive to see everyone who's in a prison of any sort delivered Lord to see in our generation the ears of your people unstopped and blinded eyes given sight captive hearts released and those that are imprisoned free.

Lord, these are the promises that you say come because of the anointing of God's Holy Spirit and the Word of God. I'm asking Lord for ability so far beyond anything Lord that I could present to this congregation today.

I'm asking you to take every simple statement and exploded a thousand ways speak to every heart because Lord your word is alive. It's not a dead letter. It's a living word your word creates your word brings light your word gives life.

Your word sets free the oppressed. Your word fills with the fullness of God Lord your word delivers from demonic Oppression. Lord, these are the things that you do. I'm asking you to do these things. The hour is late.

The need is very great Lord. So we turn to you. We turn to you with everything that is in us God. I turned you today with everything I am and have and I'm asking you Jesus Christ Son of God. Be glorified in this sanctuary be glorified in our lives.

Oh God be glorified in this generation. Let this be an hour of victory for your people and for your church Lord. We thank you for this God. We give you praise and glory now quick in this word quick in my heart quick in our ears to hear quick in us Lord, let there be light.

Let there be light in this sanctuary. God Commanded commander to be light father. We thank you for this and praise you in Jesus mighty name. Psalm 60. Money mules and travel. Verses 1 to 5. Oh God Thou has cast us off thou has scattered us thou has been displeased.

Oh turn thyself to us again. Thou has made the earth to tremble. Thou has broken it healed the breaches thereof for it shaketh. Thou shown thy people hard things thou has made us to drink the wine of astonishment.

Thou has given a banner to them that fear thee that it may be displayed because of the truth say la That thy beloved may be delivered save with thy right hand and hear me. Now folks if I were to ask today What do the words that we have just read mean to you?

Now in fairness, if you've not had a chance to study this it might not mean very much. But let's say I gave everyone here a week to study this scripture. We came back a week from now and then just randomly just started pointing to people in the sanctuary and say what do the words?

Of Psalm 60 verses 1 to 5. What do they mean to you? Now there would be some people with an honest heart. They would say pastor I've read it over and over again, and it means absolutely nothing to me.

I don't understand it. I know that something's being spoken, but I for whatever reason I can't hear it. It doesn't it does it just simply doesn't come alive in my spirit. Others would stand and they would say well, I I hear vague whispers of things to my heart which aren't too clear yet.

But I think I'm hearing something here, but it's hard to hear. It's like a voice Speaking to me in the midst of a very noisy Crowd or noisy marketplace. I can hear it, but it's just so vague. It's such a whisper.

I'm not quite sure. Now there'd be a third category of people who would stand here and they would have gone to the study text and they would say well it appears from the notes that I've been reading that this is a historical defeat suffered in battle when God withdrew his divine protection from the armies of David.

And took his hand off his own people and so some see the Word of God strictly historically interpretively literally as it is. Looking at it and just looking in the historical context. It really speaks about history.

Now some others Perhaps with musical ability would see it as a wonderful poem an opportunity for a song see a few verses that seem to have a bit of rhyme to them and Could say I I just I just hear a song in this a wonderful song and I'd like to write it down and then lastly There'd be a category of people that say pastor this this passage of scripture has spoken right to my heart.

And God has shown me the way out of my situation. You know the first person would look and say I don't hear anything like that the second type would say well If that's the truth like that somebody's got to turn up the volume because I'm not quite hearing it that way.

The historical man will never see it he just views scripture just in a literal tense and can't see beyond the letter on the page and The others Be similar, but there's a person. There's somebody here that says this book is speaking these texts are speaking to my heart.

And it's shown me the way out of my situation. Jesus said in John 6 63 the words that I speak to you. They are spirit and they are life. This is not a letter a dead letter. This is a living book. This book is alive.

God will speak to your heart if your heart is open if my heart is open when I open this book. It should never be boring. God should be speaking. There are there are seasons and times that various scriptures will speak different things.

But there are times that it will just pop off the page and it would be not a whisper. But a very clear statement from the heart of God into my life into my situation and the Lord will answer me According to his word that's how important it is to know the Word of God.

Jesus said in John chapter 8 and verse 47. He that is of God hears God's words. God said if you are of mine, I speak and you are here. You can hear me speak. It's important folks I'm telling you you and I can't go into the coming days without knowing what God is speaking and there may come a time.

For whatever reason I'm not Prophesying this I'm just saying it could happen that we can't get together for a season now if that should happen and You've got to know what God is speaking because you're going to wind up in this myriad of voices from from CNN to the other news channels to commentators to Everybody who's got an opinion you'll be out there Looking when only one voice Can tell you where to go to find the provision of God in the direction of God and you and I have got To know his voice.

We've got to be able to hear the voice of God. He will speak to us through his word now I know he speaks to the heart. There are things that God will speak every day saying just Go to this place. I know there are there are leadings of the Spirit.

But there is a speaking of God every day that comes to you and I through this book God said in Genesis 1 and the Spirit moved. God said and the Spirit moved. God said and the Spirit moved. That's exactly how God's kingdom works.

God speaks to my heart then the Holy Spirit within me makes that word a living reality. God says trust me to go through this door. I can show you that in the scriptures the Holy Spirit comes and says listen, I'm walking with you.

I'm going to give you the ability to do this. I'm going to cause you to go through into this place. You can't go through with your natural ability. I will take you into these places. Now in the Old Testament the book of Amos chapter 8 Speaks about a famine that came into the land.

Now the Bible says that it's not a famine of physical food but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Listen to what Amos 8 11 says to verse 14. Behold the days come saith the Lord God that I will send a famine in the land.

Not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. Oh folks, I don't know about you. But I don't ever want to get caught in a situation like that where I'm not hearing from God.

I would dread that more than anything else in this world where God is no longer able to speak to me. Verse 12 says they shall wander from sea to sea and from the north even to the east and they shall run to and Fro and seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it.

In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. They swear by the sin of Samaria and say thy God Odan liveth and the manner of Beersheba liveth. Even they shall fall and never rise up again.

Spiritual Famine and the Consequences of Treating God's Word Lightly

Now, why is this famine come into the land according to Amos? Now the famine comes because God is just the famine comes because God will not be mocked. The famine comes because you cannot lightly deal with the Word of God and End up not paying a consequence for it.

We have as a nation dealt very foolishly and very lightly with the things of God. How foolish of people that we have become in this and in other countries who've known the truth of God who walked in measure at least in some form of revelation of God but have dealt very lightly with it and Ultimately turned and began to despise the ways of God and God responds as he always does he sends a famine.

Now there can be a natural famine. But there's a famine deeper than a natural famine and that's a famine of hearing what God is speaking the famine of knowing The promises of God intimately and personally you and me.

Not walking in here looking for hope walking in here with hope that's got to be your future. You walk in the house of God with hope. God has been speaking to me. God has been leading me. God has been empowering me and I know that what what awaits me might be Unpleasing in the natural, but I'm not walking in the natural anymore.

I'm walking by what the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart. The Word of God is absolutely alive to me and I have promises from God that cannot fail me and These promises will sustain me and carry me through whatever days are ahead of me than I have to face now.

There was a famine of hearing the words of the Lord and Amos says that famine came. Because they they were holding to things that were wrong as if they were right. They were swearing by this this the God of Dan now.

That was it was a I don't have time to go into it all but it's a God of convenience. It was an altar that was set up partway To the worship that God truly prescribed and the place that God said this is where you will worship.

There was another altar and the Old Testament was set up and it was an altar of convenience. Where you don't have to go quite as far that the journey is not quite as great and they were swearing by this altar.

And they were swearing by spiritual principles that were not correct and they were saying these places are Where life is found, but it wasn't true if it's not true to God I don't care if a million people agree with it.

It's not true. And if God doesn't agree with it, there's no power in it. Amos 3 3 the Lord says how can two walk together except they be agreed? The Lord says you're if you're asking me to walk with you, then you've got to walk in agreement with me.

I'm not called to walk in agreement with you. You're called to hear what I'm saying and you're called to walk the path that I said before you Through the doors that I opened to you and in the promises that I'll make very very clear to you.

Paul speaks of the last days in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verse 4 and he says they will turn their ears away From the truth and shall be turned to fables. They'll be turned to stories about God. They'll be turned to Made up things about God.

They'll be turned to Prophets that prophesy out of the imaginations of their own heart. They're not hearing from God. Their words have no power. Yes, they are palatable to the natural man. Yes. They seem wonderful when you're telling people that you have this incredible future ahead of you and you're going to be this wonderful Person on a stage and you're going to be famous and all these things they seem to be so wonderful.

But there's no life in these words. There's no power in these words. They're turned from what God speaks to things that issue out of the hearts of fallen men who loved the preeminence In pulpits and among the people of God sadly enough even in our generation.

Joseph, Judah, and the Church's Mission to the Lost

In Genesis the scripture that we have been studying for the last two weeks we see Jacob the inheritor of the promise of God spoken to Abraham. You remember God said Abraham I'm gonna bless you and you're gonna be so majestically so powerfully blessed.

That through you and your family your life the whole world is going to be blessed now you and I know today He was speaking about the church was going to come from Christ was going to come through the physical lineage of Abraham now We know that to be true and because of Christ.

There's now a church and through the church the true church. The whole world is being blessed. So God's promise was true. But we're now at the grandson of Abraham the blessing went from Abraham to Isaac and then from Isaac to Jacob.

Jacob went into what was supposed to be physically speaking the promised land. He had 12 sons 10 of whom became jealous of the favor that was on his second youngest son whose name was Joseph and the 10 in their in their blind Jealousy betrayed Joseph and for 30 pieces of silver.

They sold him off as a slave Into Egypt. It's a type. It's a type folks of What you and I did to Christ it was not the Romans. It was not the Jews. It was you it was me. It was my son. It was yours that sent Jesus Christ to a cross.

Suddenly issue as much as he was betrayed by Judas up to the point where any of us came to Christ. We betrayed him with our lifestyles. We betrayed him by our sin. We betrayed him by our unwillingness to acknowledge him as Lord and Savior and creator of the universe.

And Joseph was betrayed by them and over a course of time many many years actually Joseph suffered terribly at their hands and then he ended up in a position of authority second to Pharaoh in the land of Egypt now in the place where Jacob dwelt.

There came a famine and in this famine. It's interesting when you look at the Scriptures. The Jacob is really not hearing from God. None of his sons are hearing from God because all he gets is hearsay.

He says in Genesis 42, he said I heard that there's corn in Egypt not God. There's no mention of God here whatsoever. You study it all you want. There's no mention of God here's the third in line of the promise and Areas gathering his sons one day.

They're starving to death in the place of promise and he says I hear there's corn now I'd most likely some caravan passing by and People had stopped perhaps and had a bit of a discussion in the daytime and said he'd say where did you get that provision?

Well, we got that provision in Egypt. And so he says to his sons one day. I hear there's corn. I want you to go down and Into Egypt and to buy so that we might survive this famine. And so in Genesis, excuse me chapter 42 and verse 5 It says in the sons of Israel came to buy corn.

Among those that came for the famine was in the land of of Canaan. That's there's my point the sons of Israel. Thank you. I was out of touch with God is everybody else around them. Think about it for a moment.

There are seasons there are seasons in the church. When God's own people are just as out of touch as the whole society around them. Whether they've not hearing from God, they're not in the prayer closet, they're not coming out with Revelation.

They're not claiming the promises of God. They're scurrying and running and Following hearsay from Folks, why do you think? Why do you think every time some foolish thing arises in the Western world that purports itself to be?

Revival that everybody is packing up their money and their mules and traveling off to it. Why do you think that is it's all because their church is being governed by hearsay. Being governed by what somebody else is saying.

There's so many who are empty. They're not hearing from God in our generation. We have dealt so carelessly with the things of God. We've lost touch with him. You folks I say we because that's what Daniel said when Daniel was praying for the restoration of God's people.

He included himself as part of the problem as well as part of the solution. I'm not pointing a finger at anybody. I'm speaking collectively about the church in America. God help us to rise up again in this hour that we're living in God help us to get out of the prayer closet with a revelation from God and a word from heaven folks.

Those that are looking to government I'm telling you government will do what they can do, but it's time now for the church to be the church. We know where provision is. We know where strength is. We know where the future lies.

We know how to get through hard times. There has to be a Paul again on every sinking ship. There has to be somebody that's come out of the prayer closet with a word from heaven and say don't look around you.

Don't look to your own plans to get out of this mess. I have been with God and God has given me a word and the word he's given me is about how he will make Provision to get through to the other side of this journey.

Praise be to God the sons of Jacob are just as clueless as everyone else. You see them Gathering together what little money they have taking their mules and journeying into Egypt and folks if I had a mule one time and when we had a farm and.

The thing is these things are some of the most stubborn creatures In the world and you can picture these ten sons of Jacob going down into Egypt. And the mule just at some point will just decide to stop.

That's what a stubborn nature is like just figures. This is far enough. I'm not going any farther. You pull that thing all you want you get behind it. You can try to pick it up and push it and until it decides to go.

It's just not going to go and folks. I just can imagine this. This is supposed to be the church that's going to bless the world. And if you were to look down if we could go back in history and see this entourage of ten sons of the promise of God as it is to Abraham in the lineage and they've got this caravan of mules and bags of money and Stopping and pulling and pushing and trying to get this thing going.

We're going down to get provision. We've heard there's provision in Egypt now folks. They're traveling the same fearful path as Every other Dependent nation on the earth at that time. And yet they're the ones are supposed to know God and they're supposed to be this great blessing in the earth.

And so when they finally arrived in Egypt their brother Joseph is sitting on the throne, but he makes Strange to them as he's not speaking to them clearly. They don't really know who he is. They don't know what he's accomplished.

They don't know the greatness of the provision that could be theirs. They don't see or feel the yearning in his heart to reveal himself. When you read through Genesis, you'll see the number of times that Joseph had to leave the throne and find a secret place to weep.

He wanted to reveal himself, but he couldn't it was constrained. It was restrained and it's the same as the heart of Christ in our generation. Jesus longs to reveal himself to his church. He longs for you to hear the words of his mouth.

He longs for you and I to rejoice in the victory that he has fully won on Calvary the triumph He has fully triumphed over the things of this world. He wants you and I to know and to have this revealed to our hearts.

But Joseph looks at him and he says you are spies. You are he knows who they are. They don't know who he is. He says you are spies. In other words, you just came he said to see the nakedness of the land.

In other words, you just come here to see How you can get the provision that's here. You're spies. You're not honest men and folks. I'll tell you they're spies in the Church of Jesus Christ. They're they're not they're just simply there to say look I want everything this place is God and I want to find the sneakiest way I can find to get it.

I'm not willing to carry a cross. I'm not willing to give be given for others. I'm not willing to go these whatever it is that I'm required to do. But I want to see where the defenseless part of this is folks even in this church.

We've had pickpockets come in here. Can you imagine of all the places to? Come in and be a pickpocket, but there are spiritual pickpockets to as well and sometimes in the house of the Lord. They said to Joseph we're not spies.

We're honest men. You imagine we're honest men. Oh, really? Well, tell me about yourself, well, they said we're ten brothers and we have another a younger brother. He's with our father back in the land.

We came from and we have another brother and unfortunately he passed away. Now they're talking to the brother who passed away apparently. We're honest men. We're not spies. We're honest men and the Joseph looks at them again.

It says no your spies. Your spies you're not here. Honestly, there's a dishonesty in your heart. He says I'm gonna prove you. He said I'm gonna keep you give me. I'm gonna take Simeon. I'm gonna put him in prison.

I'm gonna keep him there and he says you bring me your younger brother and prove to me that you really are honest men. Now don't forget that Joseph has been many years apart from his family and as far as he knows.

Did these men are liars and did they betray his brother the way they sold him for 30 pieces of silver? And he really has no way of fully knowing whether or not they've done the same to his younger brother Benjamin.

And he says here's the way you're going to be proven. You've told me you still got a brother that's alive at home with your father then bring him to me. He and he says you will not see my face. Until you bring your brother to me and there are so many people who just say God I want to know what you're speaking.

I want to know what you're doing. I want the provision you want for me and the Lord says if you want to see my face there is a requirement. You have a brother. That's I want you to bring this brother to me you you cannot come just for yourself.

It's not just about you. There is something about others. There you you have a younger brother that has got to come into this place of provision as well as you have found it. But he hasn't found it. He's still in another place and you've got to get him and you've got to bring him to me.

And that's the first time that in the scripture that conviction seems to be coming upon these men. They gather around their mules again and they say It's you know, we heard the anguished cries of our brother and we didn't do anything about it.

Therefore all this distress has come upon us now. Joseph heard them speaking. It's the first time. There's any recognition That they had done wrong. We heard our brother cry. I Wonder sometimes when we get to heaven How are we going to stand before God folks and have ignored the cry?

Of the widow and the orphan and The powerless and the drug addicted. Last week on the internet a young man went on. I don't even know how this works. So please forgive my techno speak. I have no idea but he had a camera he went on the internet and said he was going to commit suicide and For 12 hours, he took pills and for 12 hours people Perhaps around the country maybe even around the world watched him die some egged him on.

Some wrote in and make told him make sure you've taken enough pills. Others did nothing. They just simply watched him die and folks. There's even there's even discussion of some kind of Repercussion but even the legal experts say how can we do anything?

But folks I'm telling you it gives you a mindset of what's in the world today. That nobody went there and finally when somebody did Say this has gone on long enough in this he looks like he's in distress.

He's probably passed away by this point. They finally called the police they went there and it was too late but folks Jacob's son said we heard the cries of our brother and did nothing. And Folks, I don't want that to be my testimony when I when I get to the throne of God just walking in and Finally realizing how I have wasted my life.

How it is not amounted to what God wanted it to be how my ears were not only close to God but close to the needs of humanity all around me close to the widow close to the orphan close to the oppressed and the addicted and the suicidal.

Somehow if we want to hear God's voice folks. We have to be willing to hear the whole package. It all comes together. It's not just about provision and so many people want to hear God's voice. But it all I want to hear are the promises.

Just give me the promises. The Lord says no with the promises and the provision and the strength and the power comes the whole. Your ears are either going to be open or they're going to stay closed or you're going to only hear in whispers.

But if you want to hear from me, you have to be willing to hear it all. That's why in Proverbs the scripture says he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. There be an awareness of suffering come into your heart.

There be an awareness that life is not all about just you and I getting through to the end. With our with our clothes and our houses intact and our our hands raised and talking about how wonderful the journey has been.

Well thousands around us have have not found Anything of the provision of God while Benjamin is left in the land another place that God says I want you to go get him and bring him and I want him to be with you.

Judah's Self-Sacrifice and the Church's Calling

In chapter 44. We see now they are returning with their brother and with a new heart. They've become one with Christ and in chapter 45 If you'll look at if you're open to Genesis, we'll go to chapter 45.

The words of Joseph's mouth thou become plain and clear to them. It's amazing. Judah finally stands there and when Joseph is taken captive by Pharaoh. It's I'm not going to go into all of the details suffice to say they bring their younger brother down.

He's taken captive and Judah finally stands there and he says listen. It'll break my father's heart if this boy doesn't come home. And he said so therefore I offer my life in his place. I offer my freedom that he might go free.

I offer my future that he might have a future with his father. I offer my service as a slave that he might be free and he might go home to the father. And it's truly a type of the church that stands before God and God says he says Lord I Offer my life.

I offer all that. I am and all that I have that others may come to know you as Lord and Savior. I give you my future and God if it brings hardship into my life, then so be it. But Lord, I give it all to you.

I give everything I am. That your heart might be satisfied in the earth because folks the work of Christ is the redemption of the lost. The work of Christ is not to just save us and keep us happy until we get home to be with him for eternity.

It's about the lost that is the work of God. That is the reason there's a church on the earth. That is how the world is blessed. Because through us they come to the knowledge that there is a Savior who died for them 2 ,000 years ago and paid the price for their sins.

They come to the knowledge that because of God you can have a new heart a new future. You can have a new mind. You can have a new life. You can have new hope for not just time but for all of eternity.

But it comes with a price. It comes folks. I'm like you are there are days. I've grown throughout the whole week. There are times that I just want to get out from under the pressure. There are times I get tired from living under the pressure.

But folks, I know that to go the direction that my natural heart would want to go would be spiritual death. Not just for me and my family but be spiritual death for many others that the Lord would allow My life to be an influence over in the future.

Don't think for five seconds. It's easy to get in this pulpit for any one of us who stand here. Don't think there's no price to this because we have nice suits and we have leased cars and stuff like that.

Don't think there's no price to it folks. There's a terrible price of living under pressure all the time. Oppressed on every side as Paul says fighting hell if you ever want to know if there's a hell you stand up and start preaching The gospel you're gonna find out there's a real hell.

You're gonna find out there's a real devil. But we made the choice Somewhere along the line to give our all for the glory of God and that the heart of God might be Satisfied in the earth praise be to God and the voice of God could begin to be audible in our minds and in our hearts that we might grow in this grace and knowledge of Christ and not bring to you a Theory just off the pages of a book but a living relationship with Jesus Christ.

I know that God can take you through doors of impossibility because he's taken me through doors of impossibility. I've come out of places of fear. I lived with nine years of panic attacks and hell in my life.

I know what this is all about. I know what it's like to be called of God to do the impossible when it can't be done any other way. I know what it's like to step out and be sick in my gut day after day.

Doing what I was doing because of a love that had come into my heart for God and for God's people and for people all Through the earth who needed to know a Savior. I know what it's like to travel in impossible places.

I know what it's like to lose everything on this earth more than one time. I know what it's like to fight a very real devil a very real power of darkness. I know what that's all about, but I also know whom I have believed.

And what I preached you today have come to learn is a practical reality of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you want to hear his voice, you have to be willing to hear his voice. He'll speak about all kinds of things as a young pastor.

Preaching part-time the church that seemed to be in great revival. The Lord spoke to me many times. I remember the first time he spoke to me about giving up my job giving up my career because I was. I was a dual career.

I was preaching pastoring, but I was still in a full-time work position. I remember him speaking to me about giving this up and the incredible battle I began to fight inside of my spirit to let these things go and to begin to trust God.

But even to this day I say God, thank you. Don't ever let me stop. Don't ever let me draw a line in the sand and say this far and no farther. Right to the end right to the last moment of time if my body Loses health.

I can still preach one time a month and in our modern Generation what the Lord has spoken to my heart is that you can do a whole lot more With a cannon than you can with small weapons fire. One message preached in the Holy Ghost can outlive us each by a hundred years today.

Now the technology is here and should the Lord tarry. I've got to get in that closet and hear from God. I've got to bring a living word into this pulpit and folks. It can't be just me. It's got to be you as well.

You have to have a living word now for your family. You have to have a living word for those that God has given you influence over for your people in your workplace. In the marketplace where you travel you've got to have a word from God.